Bible Theme: God Made Me UniqueOur second October lesson teaches children that God has made each and everyone of us different and unique. We are all special and those differences are what make us even more special.

Preschool Theme: ElephantsThis page is full of Elephant printables! There are elephant coloring pages, bible verse bracelets, handwriting worksheets and more! We have everything you need for a great lesson.

"Elmer and the Hippos" by David McKeeIn Elmer and the Hippos, the elephants are not happy. The hippos' river has dried up, and they have moved into the Elmer decides to investigate. He discovers the hippos' dry river could be fixed¯but only if the hippos and the elephants drop their prejudices and work together.

"Elmer" by David McKeeElmer the elephant is bright-colored patchwork all over. No wonder the other elephants laugh at him! If he were ordinary elephant color, the others might stop laughing. That would make Elmer feel better, wouldn't it? The surprising conclusion of David McKee's comical fable is a celebration of individuality and the power of laughter.

Snack:Peanuts are an obvious choice if you have no allergic individuals in your classroom. However, boxes of animal crackers are probably a safer idea. See how many of the animals the children can identify!

Read Elmer, by David McKee.Take some time to discuss Elmer's situation. What made Elmer unique? What makes each of us unique? How did Elmer's special talents (his fun colors and his jokes) help his friends? How do our special talents help our communities?

Music & Movement:Play the video or the song "The Elephant Song" by Eric Herman. This funny song will delight the children, and goes along with the prankster/joke theme of the "Elmer" book. Click here to learn more about Mr. Herman's music. Play the song again and pause after each animal is mentioned. Let the children act like that animal, then hit "play" again until the next animal. Continue like this until the song is finished.

Introduce the letter “E” to the children. Show the children the letter "E." Explain that there are several ways to pronounce the letter "E." Show a picture of an ear. Say the word "ear" with the children. Show a photo of an eagle. Say the word "eagle" with the children. Explain that this is just one sound the letter "E" can make. Now show the children a photo of an egg. Say "egg." Ask the children if they heard the difference. Now show a picture of elbow. Say "elbow." Ask the children if "elbow" sounds more like "egg" or "ear." Explain that the same letter sometimes has different sounds. You may like to check out the website "photographic dictionary" for some excellent pictures and words you can use to teach your young children basic sounds and letters.

Show the children a photo of an elephant. Explain that "elephant" begins with "e." Ask the children if they can tell you where elephants live. How big are they? What color? What are their long "noses" called? Are they loud? Tell the children that lots of elephants live in Africa, on a broad area of grassland called a "savanna." Take some time to show some interesting photographs of elephants in their habitats. You may want to explain that some elephants live in different areas of the world, including Asian countries and jungles.

Savanna HabitatSet up an area for imaginary play with toy savanna animals. Include lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants (of course,) and any other African savanna animals you can find. Include some plastic trees and some blue paper cutouts for "waterholes." You could even utilize a sand table for this setup. Play some African animal sound recordings in the background while the children play.

Listening CenterMake a recording of yourself reading age-appropriate jokes. Make the recording interesting and be mindful of the timing of your jokes. Set up a cd player or playback device of your choosing at a table. Invite small groups of children to have fun listening and laughing at your preschool jokes. (A few websites with age-appropriate jokes for preschoolers include mothering.com, activity village, and indianchild.com.)

Color Names PracticeMake a large grid on a piece of white posterboard. The idea is to make a grid of colors that resembles Elmer's patchwork skin in the circle-time story Elmer, by David McKee. Color in each square with a different color, then write the color name for that square with a black marker. Include the basic colors that are shown on Elmer's hide: red, green, blue, yellow, pink, orange, purple, black, and white. Next, prepare various bowls of colored objects. (Make sure the objects correspond to the colors on your posterboard.) You might include a bowl of buttons, a bowl of paperclips, a bowl of hair barrettes, and any other sets of small objects that match the poster. Help the children place the colored objects onto the matching squares on the grid. Reinforce the color names with the objects. For example you might ask a child, "what color button is that in your hand?" The child might say, "red." Then have the child choose any red square on the grid and say with the child, "red," as they place their object and look at the color word "red" on the grid.

Read: "Elmer and the Hippos" by David McKeeAfter reading the story, take a moment to talk with the children about what "prejudice" means. (Remember that "prejudice" refers to more than just ethnicity or race. We can have prejudices against people who wear glasses, overweight or overly-thin people, people with unusual hair, or simply anyone who is different.) How were the elephants and the hippos different from one another? How were they the same? How are people the same? Different? Explain that God made us all: creatures, people, plants. He made us to be unique. He also made us with similarities. How can we all work together to help each other despite our differences? How can we enjoy and learn from others who are different from us?

Handwriting Practice: E is for ElephantThis is an optional handwriting worksheet for children who are ready to practice tracing the letters of the alphabet. E is for Elephant and children write and trace the words.

Patchwork ElephantsPatchwork elephants. Create an elephant template. Copy and cut out enough elephants for each child to have one. Gather many colors of construction or tissue paper. Cut these into small squares. Provide each child with plenty of these colored squares. Let the children paste their squares onto their elephants to simulate Elmer's patchwork body.

Additional Activity:If you are within reasonable distance from a zoo, consider taking a field trip. Alternatively, create a library corner filled with books and photos of jungle and savanna animals. Consider watching a film about African animals or elephants. Be sure to discuss the characteristics of the animals you observe, such as their similarities and their differences.

Elephant Coloring PagesPage 2Here are some beautiful illustrations of elephants for children to color. One sheet includes a notebooking section for children to continue their handwriting practice.

Elephant Color Sorting GameThis is a fun color sorting game you can have out on a center activity table. You can print these up in color, or to save ink use the black and white and simply print onto colored paper. Use cardstock or laminate for durability.